BULLETS OR BALLOTS.
Edward G Robinson & Joan Blondell,
Humphrey Bogart, Barton MacLane, Frank McHugh.
Dir: William Keighley, 1936, Warner Bros.

SYNOPSIS:
A classy tale of undercover work that pre-dates Reservoir Dogs by about six decades (I don't think I'm ruining the plot twists for anyone here). Bogey plays the usual killer ratfink, Frank McHugh gives a brilliant comedy cameo and Maclane and Blondell play it as straight as they always do. The only thing holding it back is the refined, gentlemanly manner of EGB. It's a paradox isn't it,while I can admire Robinson's desire to play roles that differ from psychopathic gangsters, I just wish he'd kick into a riproaring, snarling act of menacing ugliness. Still, it's a really good flick.

"Bullets or Ballots was plagued with problems. A few weeks after filming began Joan Blondell, the love interest, developed a throat infection. One of Robinson's family took seriously ill and he flew back to New York expecting her to die. She was made of stronger stuff and survived, but seven days were lost. To make up for lost time, cast and crew were working from 2 pm to 4 am on many days, an exhausting schedule. As a publicity stunt, Warner Bros had arranged for Robinson to be stopped by the police, in full view of photographers, while carrying a suspicious violin case."
- Alan Gansberg, E G Robinson biographer.

REVIEWS:
"A good gangster film of the second class. All the old chivalrous situations of Chums and the Boys' Own Paper are agreeably translated into sub-machine gun terms."
- Graham Greene.
"A vivid routine gangster thriller, not quite of the flight but nearly."
- Leslie Halliwell.